in. "That feels nice."
His kisses grew bolder, quickly finding how easy it was to suck at a person’s neck.
"Hold on, not too hard," I laughed, pulling away. "You don't want to leave hickies."
"Oh no? What are those?" His eyes were bright and curious, staring at my neck like he couldn't wait to take another bite out of me.
What the hell? I wanted him and was feeling bold. Nearly a week of seeing each other and we just got to the necking stage, so I wasn't likely to see his dick anytime soon. Still, I might be able to claim him another way.
I grabbed the front of his shirt in my fist, pulling it down to expose the top of his chest. His gaze remained curious and lightly amused as I pressed my lips just below the hollow of his throat.
"Ah." He let out a small noise of surprise as I sucked hard at his flesh.
"That," I said, pulling back to admire my work, "is a hickey."
He pulled the edge of his shirt down to look at the dark red mark I left on his skin, then stared at me with wide eyes.
"That hurt a little."
"Oh, I'm sorry." I frowned. I should have realized he might not want a bruise on his chest. "It'll fade, and probably faster with some ice—"
"No, it's okay. But I mean it hurt, Mari. I felt it."
It took me a moment, then my mouth fell open at the comprehension of what he was saying. "You felt pain?"
"Yes! It felt...sharp. A little hot, although that could have just been your mouth—" His lips clamped shut, a blush rising up his neck.
"And..." I studied his face, trying to get a read on his emotional state. "Are you okay, now that you've felt that?"
"Yeah, just surprised really. I haven't physically felt anything like that in so long. Only during my nightmares, but...it's different." His expression turned playful, a smile twitching on his lips. "Do you think you could do that again?"
"Give you another hickey?" I laughed. "For scientific purposes?"
"Yes." His voice lowered with a light caress to my hip. "Purely for scientific reasons."
"Anything in the name of science." I pecked his lips once before mouthing my way under his chin, taking indulgent nibbles and leaving a trail of kisses down his neck until I reached the space between his collarbones.
"Do it harder," he urged, holding his T-shirt out of the way for me. "Try to make it hurt me."
I giggled at the innuendo in his request before I latched on just below the first mark I made. This time I held his flesh in my teeth, pulling with my lips and lashing with my tongue until my own mouth started to hurt.
"Wow," I remarked, pulling away. "That might be one for the record books."
It was roughly the size of a golf ball, a mottled, dark reddish-purple monstrosity surrounded by more red skin.
"I don't understand it." Shadow released his T-shirt and rubbed at the spot. "It hurt but...it also felt good." He shot me a worried glance. "What does that mean?"
"Maybe your brain has never associated pain with pleasure before." I folded my legs and returned to leaning against his shoulder. "So you've blocked it off when you know the intention is to cause you harm, but the pathway associating it with something pleasurable hasn't been explored until now." I shrugged. "Again, not a neurologist. Just a theory."
"But is that normal?" he asked. "To...enjoy pain?"
"Yes, completely normal." I kissed his cheek, my hand searching for his to hold and reassure him. "It's different for everyone. Some people like a little pain, others a lot. Some not at all."
Shadow's thumbs rubbed back and forth pensively over my hands and wrists. "I think I might like a little. Only from you. And I—" He stopped himself, pausing to think about his words some more. "Even if you liked it, I don't think I could ever bring myself to hurt you."
Why I hadn't melted into a liquid state by then was completely unknown to me. This sweet, beautiful man was just too much.
"I do like a little bit of pain too, sometimes." I propped my chin on his shoulder. "But not all the time. And when I do want it, I can usually get it from Reaper." I stroked Shadow's rough cheek, nudging my mouth toward his. "I like what you and I have."
"I do too." He sighed contentedly, lips skimming over mine.
"And I love—" you "—that you can talk to me about